Help with Pearls

[carlad]

First time posting and if I''m not in the right site please guide me to the correct one.

I have just received freshwater pearls from China. Would like someone to help with a value on them. A friend hand picked from the factory.

First: AAA grade 9-10mm 16" white pearls strand with matching braclett & earrings. They have silver clasp.

Second: AAA grade 5-6mm 30" strand white pearls Silver clasp

The picture is of the 30" and I do have one of the 16" if you want to see.

Thanks,
Carla

 

[valeria101]

Hi!
It sounds like you have received a very nice gift! High quality freshwater pearls are not at all easy to find. However, their quality depends on things hard to convey through a computer monitor (such as tone and luster). The way the pearls are matched in the string also matters (and not just a little). The fact that the marked is fooded by very low quality, underprices Chnese Freshwater pearls does not help either.

However, there are two professional appraisers posting here ('Oldminer' and 'New England Gem Lab'). You can find more detalis on their websites and in the 'Whos Who' forum here. I would drop a message, if there is no definite reply. In my view, these can be anything from 800 to 2000 USD, assuming they are indded of unusual quality. Otherwisem much lower and much higher numbers are both possible. The fact that the clasp is silver is probably not very relevant here (given how you obtained the items), if they were purchased from a retailer, one could have implied that high quality pearls would receive more expensive fittings. Pearl garding (that AAA) is not standardized as diamond grading is, but rather grades are established by each produser or seller.

In saying these, I am only refering to my experience as a buyer (and I would spend around 1K for one 11mm pearl of exceptional quality, happy enough I could get it!).

 

[AGBF]

Those are gorgeous! Who took that photo?

 

[carlad]

Thank you...I took them with my digital camera. I have a couple of these to sale along with the 16" 9-10mm strand. So needing a price range to start with. I also got some pearl powder...any suggestion for this. I've heard it is great for the face. Not sure what to mix it with.

 

[Sagebrush]

Carla,
Your new pearls look dazzling but there is a good reason why it isn't possible to do any sort of reasonable appraisal online. Images can, to say the least, can be deceiving. In this case, the closeup is fuzzy. If you want a real appraisal go to a shop with a Graduate Gemologist, look around the shop, does it carry similar goods? If so, contract for a formal appraisal, and make sure you pay for it, "a workman is worthy of his hire" an old saying which means basically that a good appraisal is worth what you pay for it.

Excerpts from a new book; Secrets Of The Gem Trade, The Connoisseur's Guide To Precious Gemstones by Richard W. Wise, including a new one just published on freshwater pearls, can be read online at Colored Stone Magazine's website: http://www.colored-stone.com/

Cheers,